5 Reasons Not To Meditate
Frank Fitzpatrick 07/16/2020
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“Meditation is not evasion; it is a serene encounter with reality.“
-Thich Nhat Hanh
If you already have a regular meditation practice, I commend you.
If you don’t meditate, you might have your own reasoning.
With all the scientific proof about the benefits, it begs to ask:
Why don’t more people meditate?
Mental roadblocks and misperceptions about meditation are often hurdles that keep many from taking this proven path to freedom.
Following are five common excuses I hear from people who tell me they want to meditate, but… decide not to:
- “I don’t have enough time in my day for mediation.”
A Zen proverb offers one perspective on that misperception:
“You should sit in meditation for 20 minutes every day, unless you are too busy. Then you should sit for an hour.”
While it doesn’t necessarily help for a monk to tell you need to spend more time doing mediation, any more than it helps for a professional athlete to tell you to exercise more. If time is your excuse and you are seeking a way to reduce the overwhelm of having too much to do already, you might want to heed the wisdom in the proverb above. Operating from the premise we established earlier: Energy is more important than time. This excuse quickly loses steam.
Meditation, over time, will increase your energy. It will also improve your health, your performance, and more than likely leave you with more time at the end of the day to do the things that you love. Meditation can help you increase your capacity to more confidently face the challenges and joyfully embrace the blessings in your daily life.
In essence, time expands when we increase our energy, focus and enjoyment, and reduce the levels of stress, distraction, and fear.
- “I don’t have a good place to meditate.”
To that I say, “The most beautiful garden is the one inside you.”
One of my coaching clients is a busy type-A executive with two new business ventures and two young children at home. He rises every day at 5:30 to do his meditation. In an effort not to wake his wife and kids, and to not be distracted, he has chosen a closet in his house. Within the confines of this small space, he is able to sit quietly and turn inward, to reconnect to himself and his purpose, before fully entering the activities and interactions of his busy home and work life.
In meditation, your destination is within you. If you add visualization, you can even envision yourself being anywhere you want—walking through an emerald forest, standing on the top of a majestic mountain, wrapped in the arms of a loved one… And, with practice, you can enter the vast universe within you from anywhere. With enough practice, you’ll be able to meditate in the middle of Times Square or on a busy subway.
Naturally it might be more inspiring at first to have a sacred space, maybe an altar, or be sitting on a quiet beach. For starters, I do recommend finding a quiet place, where you are less likely to be distracted, worried or interrupted.
If you really don’t believe you can create a window of time and/or place to have a few uninterrupted moments with yourself, you might want to check your lens. My guess: it is not the circumstances that create the problem, it is how you perceive the circumstances.
- “I can’t still my mind.”
Maybe observing your thoughts and letting them pass just increases your anxiety. The more you try to be still, the more your mind unloads a seemingly never-ending list of TO DO’s, UnDone’s, ShouldOf’s, Fears and Criticisms.
Meditation takes practice. Like all great things, it takes time and discipline. While taming the mind can be like taming a wild horse, the irony is that mediation is the actual key to cultivating and sustaining our attention, our energy and our ability to focus. While energy is our most valuable resource, our attention is our most limited asset.
Many of us have over-active minds. If, like me, you find yourself in that category, I recommend preparing for your sitting mediation by entering through your body. This might mean a little exercise, some stretching, doing a few yoga poses, putting on some calming music, doing some breath work, reading an inspiring quote or passage, or doing a little mind-dumping before you start by jotting down all those seeming precious thoughts that you are afraid you might lose.
We can’t actually stop our mind completely, but meditation can help us to learn to fully tend to, observe, and channel the direction of our consciousness. Through mediation, over time, we learn to stop wrestling with the mind and to more quickly and gracefully return to our intention—the focus of our attention, and to regain our balance, regardless of the fluctuations or challenges that occur outside.
4) “I never know if I’m doing right.”
The only thing you cant really do wrong in meditation is to judge yourself as doing something wrong. The first key is to let go of right and wrong altogether, of having to do anything, or go anywhere, and just be. In fact, you are better off not meditating than to meditate with the voice of judgment and self-criticism making its way even deeper into your subconscious while you are in a deeply receptive and open state.
Meditation, like yoga, is a practice, not a competitive sport
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5) “I don’t know what kind of meditation to do.”
There are many kinds of mediation, and many paths that can lead us to the universe within us. There’s a great variety of styles too, each with different strengths and benefits. For some, the path to enter is through music; for many it is mindful movement; others find it easier to listen to a guided meditation, or to use visualization, chanting, or even focusing on the flame of candle. There is no ultimate form or technique that is necessarily better than the other.
The form of meditation that is best for you is the one you will actually do.
If you are just starting out, try a few on for size, and if you find a style that resonates, give yourself a month before you give up or move on. Guided meditations are often the best place to start. In most traditions, practitioners learned from a teacher. A few lessons by the right teacher, or a class or two, can’t hurt. But don’t let that be another hurdle. You just might find that guide or teacher in an app on your phone.
So, let’s drop the excuses and give it a try. Why not? If you do have another valid excuse I left off the list, let me know.
Meditation is something everyone can do to boost their mental and emotional health. You can do it anywhere, without special equipment or memberships. It is both free, and a path to freedom. Over time, and with a little practice, your take on and quality of life is guaranteed to improve.
Want to Learn More?
Mindfulness meditation is valuable in reducing anxious and worrying thoughts, while helping to boost energy . Over the next few weeks, I will be presenting a series of articles and free sessions to provide you with scientifically-proven ways to optimize and amplify your energy so you can have all the internal resource you need to navigate the unpredictability and turbulence of the external world with greater CALM, Confidence, and JOY.
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About the Author
Frank Fitzpatrick is a Creative Executive, Engagement Expert and High-Performance Coach on the Faculty of Singularity University’s Exponential Medicine.
Be sure to check out Frank’s full Bio.
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